Falling Rayn
by Devil Dark Shadow
Summary: I've currently taken a break from writing this. I haven't stopped though, so please be patient!
1. It begins

Falling Rayn

I

The darkness in the hall of the Temple of Time subsided.In its place cam blue mist and light, illuminating edges of stone carvings, and curves of three shadowy figures crouched on the high ledge near the ceiling.

Not wanting to take the risk of being noticed, one shadow gave a silent signal to move to another part of the hall.But there was no need.The mist had cleared and the light escaped through the patterned window.Where they had been stood a Hylian with a white Guardian Fairy, both looked uncomfortable with their surroundings.

Another shadow figure peered closer down.He recognised the man that stood before them, and with that memory came jealousy flooding back into his mind.He quietly pulled back.

'Do you know him?Is he the one?' asked a different, male, shadow

'Yes.' The other male replied 'My brother, Link, is now the Hero of Time.'

He forced a smile upon his lips.Bitter memories entered his mind.First the Great Deku Tree had summoned him, then he ran significant errors for Princess Zelda that added to his status, making him seem like the noblest of warriors.Now his brother had become the legendary Hero.He fought hard so as not to let his envy show, as he regarded it as a sign of weakness.

'It's been seven years.' the third, female shadow reminded 'Do you want to go talk to him?'

'I think I should wait a while.' Came the reply 'He…he's probably got a lot on his mind.'

'I have to share Hyrule's troubles with him.' The other male told them 'You both wait up here until I call for you.'

The Hylian who was standing by the Pedestal of Time started to make his way out of the temple.The shadow figure jumped down, gracefully landing and only making the slightest sound.

It was enough for the long-eared Hylian to hear.He turned around to see a Sheikah standing behind him.

It was the Eye of Truth that gave it away for him.He had only seen a Sheikah once before, she was Princess Zelda's attendant.Living in the Castle she always looked well cared for, but this one was different.His blonde hair was mangled and drooped over one of his red eyes.His blue clothes looked more like old, worn rags and the look on his face was sad and weary.

'Link?' he spoke

He nodded.The Sheikah saw that he was wielding the mythical Master Sword and the Ocarina of Time.

'Finally, you're here.Link the Hero of time.The entire Sheikah race greets you with joy and gratitude.'

He walked towards him, almost trembling with happiness that their saviour had arrived.He bowed his head.

'Forgive my rudeness.' He said, trying not to let his excitement show 'I am Sheik, a survivor of the Sheikah.'

'Uhh, pleased to meet you Sheik.' said Link

An awkward silence passed, Sheik could see that this was strange for them.

'Well umm, I…'

'Oh, skip the damn courteous routine.Just tell him.' a voice said

'So…'

'How the Hell d'you jump down from so high?I'd probably break my leg or something.' Link replied

Sheik smiled.

'It takes practise, a lot of hard practise.' he laughed

He looked up and shook his hand.Two more Sheikah jumped down.One was a teenage girl wearing almost identical clothes to Sheik, only black instead of blue.She had long black hair and blue eyes instead of the common red.Blue was as rare as violet and both colours reminded Link of a saying he had heard once before, but he couldn't quite remember all of it.

'I'm Shadow.' she spoke

Link found her voice enchanting.He held out his hand.Shadow took it and bowed her head.

'I think you know my friend.' she said 'He recognised you straight away.'

She pointed to the last Sheikah.He bared a striking resemblance to Link, only with short black hair instead of Link's auburn colour.

'It's been a long time Link.' He spoke 'Do you remember me?'

'Rayn, twenty years could pass and I would still be able to pick you out.' Link answered

He paused and saw the small, blue crescent moon tattooed on his forehead.

'You're a fully trained fighter now?' he asked

'Just a sorcerer, but I'm getting there.' Rayn said modestly 'I guess we're both proud of each other.I'm happy for you.My brother, the Hero of Time.I would have never thought it.'

'Yeah well, neither did I.' replied Link 'Have you been waiting all this time?Rauru said that I'd been away for seven years.'

Rayn forced a laugh and rolled his eyes.

'As if.' he said 'No, we just got lucky, it was our turn to guard the Temple.'

'You've met the Sage of Light?Wow, that's like an honour.What's he like?' asked Shadow

'I don't know him _that_ well.' shrugged Link 'He's really smart and, no disrespect, but he has no hands.I found that a little weird.'

_ _

_'This coming from the man that Ruto said she was engaged to.'_ thought Rayn 'Well, I'm just glad you're back alright.Are you tired?'

'Well, I am feeling a bit faint.' Link admitted 'But I'll be alright.'

Sheik shook his head.He had to tell Link about what he needed to do and it was probably best if they were somewhere safe.Link could rest at the same time.

'I think you should come back with us.' he suggested 'And if you're feeling faint then you're definitely coming.'

'Whoa, okay mom.' Link replied sarcastically 'Go with you where?'

'You'll see.' said Sheik 'But we can't tell you out here.'

He nodded.The four of them headed outside the Temple, being wary of any Redeads or other enemies they might confront.

'What's happened?' asked Link 'Why's the market all…Hey!How come it's dark?'

'Calm down,' advised Rayn 'we'll tell you when we get back, okay?We need to get out of here.'

Link pulled back from the group.He turned around and looked to where Hyrule Castle should have been.

'Zelda.Is she okay?I have to see her.'

'She's not there,' Sheik told him as he walked off

'I have to see, I have to check.'

Shadow shook her head and ran in front of him, blocking the far view of the Castle.

'I don't think you're ready for this.' she said

'Get out of the way.' Link ordered, trying to push her back

Shadow stood her ground.Link was weak from time travel, there was no way he could force her away.

Or so she thought.Link gave one strong shove and she was on the floor.

'Hey!' Sheik shouted

'Sorry.' apologised Link

He helped her up.Shadow decided that she would persuade him not to go to the Castle instead.

'I know how you must feel, but hey.When you get your rest, we'll show you, okay?' she said 'Just trust me, she's not there.Sheikah okay?We don't take any action if it's gonna hurt the Royal Family.'

Link just nodded, trying not to show his sadness.He went with them outside the Castle grounds, not knowing what he was getting himself into.


	2. At the Sheikah camp

# Once again I say Sheik is not *****.Oh, and for all the people who don't know. Reyon is pronounced _RAY~OWN._Onto the fic…__

# 

# Falling Rayn

# 

# II

'Yeah..?'

Rayn was in a daze.Link was telling him all about his adventures since he left Kokiri Forest and he wasn't really listening.Hearing his brother brag about his achievements didn't really interest him.

'Yeah.It was really strange.I was in this giant fish's stomach looking for a Zora princess, her name's Ruto.' Continued Link 'She's so stubborn.I know I shouldn't say that about royalty, but she was so annoying!'

Sheik turned around.

'Ruto?' he asked, turning to Shadow 'Is she the one I found in Zora's Domain?'

Shadow nodded.

Sheik had found Princess Zora when he went to check around Hyrule.Every Sheikah had to do it.They may have been small in number, but they kept everything near normal in Hyrule.When he found her, she was under the water, almost freezing.Sheik had helped her out as they both watched Zora's Domain suffer its icy fate.

'She was asking about you.' He continued 'Something about you ditching her on your special day.'

'Special day?' asked Link 'I don't know anything about that.'

_ _

_'Forgets his own wedding day.' _Thought Rayn _'How can he be so stupid?'_

'It can't have been too important.' Said Link

'I'm sure it wasn't.' Rayn lied 'If it was she'd be with us right now, wouldn't she?'

'I guess so.' Replied Link

No one talked after that.Rayn felt true hatred for his brother and Sheik had no idea what the "Special day" was.Rayn hoped Link would never know.

When they were far enough away, they could see the sun peering out from the dissolving black clouds.Link found it strange that there could be light in one place and not another.

Time passed and eventually they reached the camp where the remaining Sheikah lived, a hidden area near Lake Hylia.Now that Kakariko was open to all of Hyrule, The Sheikah were forced to find other places to stay.

'They're back.' Someone informed

'Is He with them?' another voice said

'Yes!It's Him!The Hero has arrived!'

The Sheikah appeared, closing in on them like they were unnatural beings that demanded respect.Link backed away out of the circle, he didn't want them to get too close.

'He's scared?' a female Sheikah said, surprised

'He has a right to be.Look at you all.You surround Him like you would an enemy.'

Link looked beyond the group of people to the Hylian behind them.

He looked wary, like he was expecting to be attacked.A red tattoo of The Eye Of Truth was over his left eye, clashing with his short black hair.His eyes were green and seemed to pierce right through Link.

He walked forward and bowed in front of Link, still watchful.

'I'm Keyva, leader of this team of Sheikah.' He said 'It's an honour to meet you… Kokiri?'

'Name's Link.It's great to meet you too.' Link said dully, it was all he could think of

'I commend you three for finding Him.' Praised Keyva 'I don't wish to keep our little chat short Link, but you have hardships ahead of you.Why don't you rest a while?'

Link nodded.He hadn't done anything in seven years, but was exhausted.Another Sheikah came and showed him where he would sleep.

'So you're the legendary Hero huh?' the female Sheikah asked 'I don't mean to be rude or anything, but you're not quite what I expected.'

'Yeah well, I didn't expect to be the one.' Replied Link

The girl looked away, realizing her mistake.

'I'm sorry, let's start over.' She apologised 'I'm Nightshade, one of the Sheikah Sorcerers, or Sorceresses depending on how you look at it.'

Link noticed that she also had a blue moon symbol on her forehead.But unlike Rayn's, the moon had the Eye of Truth inside it.

'That mark, what does it mean?' he asked her

'What?This?It just means I'm a sorceress.' She explained

'My brother's got a mark like that, but it didn't have that eye thing there.'

Nightshade was confused.

'Your brother?' she asked

'Rayn.'

She sat back and thought.

'Rayn's your brother?Well, that would explain the resemblance.' She said to herself 'The eye means that we've reached our limit, we know our most powerful magic and can't learn anymore.'

Link felt slightly vulnerable after she said that.

'Err, how powerful?' he said uneasily

'I'll show you some other time,' Nightshade smiled 'You've got some hard journeys ahead of you; catch up on your sleep.'

Outside, The Sheikah were continuing with their duties happily.There were all talking about how powerful they thought Link would be, with the young Sheikah novices thinking childish thoughts about how fast he would be and how good he would be at their games.It was only natural; Sheikah novices were aged only between 6 and 9.

While the commotion was going on, Keyva was finishing praising Sheik, Rayn and Shadow.

'That's about it.I should say this now, the other Sheikah will look at you differently from now on, but only because you were the ones that found him.' Told Keyva 'And Rayn, don't take their different approach to you as an excuse to have your rank raised, it doesn't work like that.'

'Yes sir.' Said Rayn

He and Sheik left.Shadow stayed to admire the view of the Lake.

The sun was setting and its rays reflected off the Lake, giving it a dazzling shimmer of green mixed with a deep blue atmosphere around it.Shadow could hardly believe that beyond this beauty lurked unimaginable evil just waiting to strike.

Not just the evil that was inside the Temple, but another that was her being left alone.The spot by the tree was where she last saw her brother, Reyon.He had gone to search for something, but hadn't made it clear just what he was searching for.

She was so absorbed by her surroundings that she didn't notice Keyva behind her.

'Shadow?'

His voice startled her, but she did her best not to show it.Shadow preferred not to let her weak and innermost feelings show.

'What?' she said blankly

'Tell me what you're thinking about.' Requested Keyva

She was not going to let him know.It was none of his business and it would just show that she was afraid to be alone.

'About Link.' She lied

'What about Him?'

Shadow looked at him.This was something she thought Keyva should know.

'About how everyone acts.You saw the others when they saw him, they were all so amazed and excited.' She said 'They didn't even know who he was, so why did they act like that?'

'He is the Hero of Time Shadow.' Reminded Keyva

'It's stupid to be respected just because of your title!' argued Shadow

Keyva shook his head and smiled.

'You respect me, don't you?' he said 'So why not him?'

'You're different, I know you.' Shadow said 'You earned our respect, not like him.He just comes walking in here then people think "Oh wow!He must be good!"It's not him that's good, it's his damn sword!'

'Shadow!' shouted Keyva

She remembered who she was speaking to.He was her leader and she was complaining about the Hero to him.He had to show respect no matter what.

'Sorry.' She apologised 'I won't say anymore.'

That wasn't what Keyva wanted.He wanted to let her release her feeling and share her problems, but he also had to tell her when to stop.

'I respect your opinion Shadow but I have to draw the line somewhere.' He told her

Shadow looked away, knowing she had gone too far.

'I'm saying this as a leader, not as me but as your commander.' Told Keyva 'You are a Sheikah and he is the Hero of Time.You are his ally and must acknowledge his presence and respect his opinions._No matter what._Do you understand?'

Shadow gave him a cold stare.

'Yes _sir._' She said and walked off.

What d'ya think?Please R&R.Not _too _harsh though!


	3. Ganon's Castle

This isn't how the actual story's set out, I thought I'd do it like this because it's just easier to read, the original would be to confusing in HTML format.Anyway, sit back, grab your swords and enjoy…

III

Inside Ganondorf's Chamber, the Evil King was thinking about new ways to raise his power and strengthen his grip over Hyrule.He was sitting on his throne, in his black Gerudo armour and red cape, stroking the Wolfos he had trained and kept as a pet.

'Nydek.Come forward.' He called

One of the guards by the door stood in front of Ganondorf.He was fully clothed in armour and on his weapons belt was a large katana.His face matched his evil personality and his cold, deep blue eyes could penetrate any mind and seize control of it, something Ganondorf favoured.

'Yes my lord?' Nydek asked

'Look at this Wolfos.' Said Ganondorf 'It's happy, do you know why?'

'No sir.' Replied Nydek

'It is happy because it knows that it will one day evolve into a White Wolfos.' Told Ganon 'It will have more strength, more power.It will drive more fear into the hearts of its adversaries.'

The Wolfos howled and casually walked down to Nydek.Nydek was not scared by it, not even when it playfully tried to scratch at him.He knew the King did not like to see fear in his ever-growing army.

'Find me a way to obtain these.' Ordered Ganondorf

Nydek smiled.

'That will be easy my lord.' He said, flicking back his long, white hair smugly

'But before you do that, I want you to listen to the information Sorben has gathered.' Ganondorf commanded 'Sorben!'

A girl with red hair and green eyes came into the room.She was dressed in a black, Gerudo-like outfit with two savage-looking swords, in their scabbards, on her back.

'Yes sir?What do you wish?' she asked

'Tell me your news.' Ordered Ganon 'What have you found that proves interesting?'

'Yes my lord, of course.' Said Sorben shakily 'The other Gerudos and I think that we may have found another of the Sheikah's hiding grounds.'

_ _

_'Another_?'exclaimed Ganondorf

When Ganondorf had acquired the Triforce he had gone on a hunt for all those that might have opposed him.He had his men search all of Hyrule and found many Sheikah colonies.Knowing they were sworn allies to the former King, Ganon had them all killed.

'I'm afraid so, it's by Lake Hylia.' Sorben replied, frightened

Ganon looked at her evilly, angrily.

_ _

_'Poor fool, she's going to die.'_ Thought Nydek 'Goodbye Sorben.'

Sorben heard the telepathic remark and looked at Nydek in horror.

'What?' she replied

'It always hurts if you expect it…' told Nydek

'He wouldn't.' said Sorben 'I'm a Gerudo!'

'Sorben?' said Ganon

He looked displeased with her.Sorben stood ready for an attack.

Then, Ganon relaxed, looking like no bad news had come his way.

'Leave us.' He said, normally

Sorben breathed a sigh of relief.She turned around to walk out the door.

Ganondorf summoned an orb of fire magic in his hand.He waited for Sorben to reach the door, then aimed it at her. Sorben turned around, she didn't even have time to scream.

_ _

_'Such beauty, what a waste.' _Nydek thought, not looking behind him _'There's no room for cowardice here.You would have been better off as a Hylian.'_

Sorben's body slumped to the floor and disappeared in a black mist.

_ _

_'He has no pity, not even for his own kind.I have to watch myself.'_ Nydek said, referring to the King 'She was a waste of your time sir; 

I can gather information much faster.Do you still wish for me to search for power?'

'No.' Ganon said, shaking his head 'You must take care of the Sheikah first.None must survive.None.I won't have anyone plotting against me.'

'With all due respect sir I must question your action.'

'Why do you question me?' asked Ganon

_ _

_'I'd better not blame him.'_ Thought Nydek 'Sorben was a fool, she didn't even tell you how many Sheikah there are.I could be ambushed when it seems I have killed them all.'

'Just do it!I don't care how!' Ganondorf shouted 'Do whatever it takes!One by one, all at the same time, just kill them!Take as many monsters as you need.'

_ _

_'Word of advice, don't ever question him.What was I thinking?' _Nydek thought to himself 'As you wish sir.'

He turned around and left, keeping his long ears alert for the sound of another magic bolt.He closed the tall, wooden door behind him and headed down the corridor to where Ganon kept his "army".

'Time these fools did something useful.' He said to himself

Nydek went inside.He saw rows of cages, each containing a monster.He walked past hoards of Gibdos and Stalfos until finally 

he found what he was looking for.

'Lizalfos.' He said

The Lizalfos was staring at him from inside the cage, its sword sharp and keen to spill the blood of its enemy.To Nydek, it was a magnificent beast; it's snake-like eyes focused on him, it's beautiful, scaly, flickering tail.If it weren't a monster, Nydek would have considered it as beautiful as a Hylian, and twice as important.

'I release you, Lizalfos.Depart with four others to Lake Hylia.' Nydek ordered 'Wait there until I send more to join you.'

The Lizalfos made a growling-like sound.Five cages emitted blue light and the Lazilfos in each of them disappeared.Nydek walked around the room, looking for more monsters.

_ _

_'Where do they keep the Big Poes?' _he thought

Then he remembered.Ganondorf had them right at the back of the dungeon-like room.He had to.Poes were a physical form of hatred, so Big Poes were twice as strong and contained even more hate for their enemies and even their masters.

Nydek walked up to special cage where they kept the Big Poes.It was made of light, so if Poes went anywhere near it they would vanish to the void between dimensions.

'Ten of you shall go to Hyrule Field.' Commanded Nydek 'Do as you please there, but if you see any Sheikah, destroy them immediately.'

The Poes laughed their high-pitched laugh and disappeared like the Lizalfos.

_ _

_'Is that enough?'_ thought Nydek

He unsheathed his katana and practised fighting with it, it helped him to focus his thoughts.

_ _

_'No.Just six against a group of…How many?Dammit Sorben!Why were you in charge of searching Hyrule?'_

Nydek walked past a container, his sword clanging against it loudly.

'Shapeless creature, wake up!!!' he shouted

A see-through, liquid-like shape rose.Its dark, swirling body changed, forming an exact duplicate of Nydek.

'Six of you Dark shifters go to Lake Hylia to join the Lizalfos.One of you enter the Water Temple.' Nydek commanded

There was another flash of light and the slaves departed.Nydek held his katana up to his face and closed his eyes.

_ _

_'If I die, may Sorben be forever tormented in the Realm of the Forsaken.' _He thought

Light made its last appearance in that part of the Castle, and Nydek set off to deal damage against his rivals for Hyrule's future.


	4. Practice Fight

IV

Yeah I know, I haven't uploaded a chapter for A-G-E-S!Sorry, I've been doing loads of revising for my GCSEs (wish me luck!^_^;;;) Anyway, this chapter's for Shae. (?)

IV

'What the hell do you think you're doing?!!'

Shadow ran outside, chasing after a small boy.He had something in his hand, and by the way Shadow was chasing him, it was obvious who it belonged to.

'Venus!!!You little brat, come back here!!' shouted Shadow

He kept on running, dodging past other Sheikah and ran into Keyva.

'Wha--?Venus, what are you doing?' asked Keyva

Venus looked up.

'Umm…' he stuttered, moving his dark blue hair from his eyes with his free hand 'I…'

'There you are!' they heard Shadow shout

She ran forward to Venus, towering above him for intimidation.

'Now you stu--.' She stopped when she realized Keyva was with them 'Where is my ring?'

'It's not yours!' Venus shouted

He ran behind Keyva.Keyva sighed.

'Give her back her ring, Venus.' He said

'It's not her ring!' he shouted 'It's Reyon's!'

Shadow knelt down with an impatient smile.

'Yes, but he gave it to me.Now be a good brat and give it back!' she said with annoyance

Venus stomped the floor angrily.

'My teacher called me a brat!Did you hear that Keyva?Shadow called me a brat.' He said 'I don't wanna be taught by her anymore.Can Rayn be my teacher instead?'

_ _

_'Good luck.' _Shadow thought _'Rayn hates kids, especially Novices.' _

Keyva sighed again and whispered to Venus.

'Tell you what,' he said 'you give her ring back to her, and I'll see what I can do.'

Venus smiled and threw the ring at Shadow.She caught it, and then he ran away to meet his friends.

'Thanks.' She said to Keyva

'I get really tired of having to break up your stupid fights.' He said

'I get tired of having them.' Replied Shadow 'I'm guessing he's still my student?'

Keyva nodded.

'But why?' Shadow protested 'He hates me.He's going to be 10 soon and I haven't even taught him on how to use the Eye of Truth yet.I can't teach him.'

'I know you can.Besides, if I did make Rayn his teacher, the little guy would go through hell.' Said Keyva

'And that would be a problem because?' said Shadow sarcastically

'Come on, give the kid a break.' Keyva asked

Shadow shrugged and walked away.

'I'll give him a break,' She said 'in both legs.'

She couldn't be bothered to argue with Keyva, it might have been because she would lose, she wasn't sure.She just knew that she needed a break from all the stress of teaching, maybe even releasing her anger physically.

'Keyva,' she spoke 'can I practise against you?'

Keyva rolled his eyes.

'I don't have the energy,' He replied 'I've really only just finished training the new Novices.'

'Oh, okay.' Shadow sighed

She walked away.

'Hey!' called Keyva

'What? She asked, turning back

'Why don't you ask Rayn, he'll be more than happy to test out his skills.' Suggested Keyva 'I'll bring Link.Who knows, maybe he could learn a few things?'

_ _

_'Oh great, I'm putting on a display for the "Hero", why not just team him up with me?'_ Shadow thought angrily 'Sure, I'll be happy to show him how we fight.'

Keyva knew she was lying, after all, she had told him how she really felt about Link yesterday.He walked back to the tent where Link was sleeping and found him already awake.

'Up already?' asked Keyva

'Yeah, I had a rough night.' Replied Link

'Nightmare?'

'Yeah, I guess.' Told Link 'It started off kinda strange.'

Keyva sat down.

'You want to talk about it?' he asked, he was full of questions

'Nah.It's too awkward to explain.'

'All right then.' Replied Keyva 'Come with me, I want to show you something.'

Shadow was fed up.She'd had it with Venus and now she was going to perform a play for Link, something she wasn't looking forward to.She entered the forest surrounding the camp and sat down on the grass, slipping Reyon's ring in her pocket.

'Rayn?' she called telepathically

'Something wrong?' he replied

Shadow sighed.

'Yeah, a lot.' she told him 'I asked Keyva whether or not I could train with him and now I've ended up getting both you and me into it'

'Into what?' Rayn asked 'I like wrestling, especially with Sheikah like you.'

She laughed, she knew what he meant.Rayn could tell that she was happier than before.

'Heh, so you know that one huh?' he asked her

'Yeah.'

'But seriously, what's wrong?Don't you want to spar against me?'

'Oh yeah, I love it every time I get to kick your ass.' Shadow replied 

'But we have to fight in front of Link.'

Rayn fell silent.The telepathic link told Shadow that he didn't like the idea.

'I guess you don't want to either.' she assumed

'No.I don't mind, it's just that…'

'Don't lie.I can tell.' Shadow told him 'Something's not right between you two.'

'Where are you?' he asked her, trying to get off the subject

'Can't you track me?'

'I'm still learning that trick.' Rayn replied

'The Training Circle.' she replied 'You better be quick, Keyva will be here any moment.'

The link closed.Seconds later, Rayn appeared out of nowhere.

'Quick enough?' he asked smugly

Shadow sighed disapprovingly.Sheikah weren't meant to use their magic unless they were ordered to.

'You know, you're not supposed to do that.' She told him

Rayn shrugged.

'What Keyva doesn't know won't hurt him.' He said 'So, when do we fight?'

'As soon as _He_ comes here.'

'You really don't like Link, do you?'

'I don't like the way people like him, no.' Shadow replied

Silence passed.Shadow didn't think that she should be bad mouthing Link to his brother.Rayn tried to pass the time by pacing backwards and forwards, until Shadow complained that it was pointless and annoying.

'Someone needs a hug.' He said, reaching forward

Shadow recoiled back.

'Don't.' she warned him

Eventually, Keyva arrived with Link following closely behind.

'You took your time.' Rayn said to Keyva

Keyva sighed.When Rayn was in this type of mood it usually meant that he was about to be challenged for leadership.

'Well, we're here now.' He replied 'I promised Link that he'd see Sheikah in combat.You know, see if he can improve before he sets off.'

Link smiled smugly at Rayn.

'Don't disappoint me now.' He spoke

Rayn faked a grin back at him and drew his sword, the Dragon Slayer, a medium thick blade with two jagged edges awkwardly sticking out and facing the hilt.Link wondered how anyone could use it without slicing their own hand.

'Well,' Rayn said to Shadow 'Let's begin.'


	5. Surprises Three

Author's Note: Man, chapter V

Author's Note: Man, chapter V?I never thought I'd get this far!Thanks to everyone for being REALLY patient with me!I promise, the more I delay, the more I'll write k?

(Oh yeah, and for everyone who read 'The Truth' story that I did, you can forget ALL about that because it has nothing to do with this anymore.It was just one of those things I just come up with and then instantly regret it.Okay, I'll shut up now.)

V

Shadow stepped back and drew her two swords.

'Are we using magic in this fight?' she asked

'Nah.' Rayn said, shaking his head 'I don't want to hurt you now.'

Keyva held up his arm.

'Begin.' He ordered, dropping his arm

Rayn brought his sword high in the air and brought it down to Shadow's face.Shadow quickly countered with both her blades and tried to force him away but failed, Rayn's sword pierced forward and grazed her cheek.He stood back and looked down at her.

'You're not yourself.' He told her

Shadow took advantage of his pause and slashed at his leg, just missing it.

'What makes you think that?' she asked

Both of them could hear Keyva clapping but could tell he wasn't cheering them on.He was trying to get their attention.

'Whoa!Hey, stop!' he shouted

Shadow and Rayn both put away their weapons and walked back to where he and Link were standing.

'That was short.' Rayn said 'What's wrong?'

'I asked you to show Link how you fight,' Keyva told him 'like those demonstrations you do for Novices.I didn't say kill each other.'

Shadow held her cheek.

'It didn't hurt.' She spoke, rubbing it

'Good, but patch it up when you get back.' Said Keyva 'Maybe you should start again.'

'If you're not hurt.' Added Link

Shadow looked at him.

_'Great.'_ She thought _'Now he thinks I'm weak.Could anything else go wrong?'_

'You aren't, right?' Link asked her 

'No.' she replied quickly

Link backed down, he didn't expect her to be quite so touchy.Shadow faced Rayn and stood back in attacking stance.

'See if you can catch me again.' She challenged

'You don't need to put on a brave face you know.' Rayn advised secretly

'Shut up and fight.' she snapped

Shadow was obviously not in the best of moods.She hadn't been trying her hardest and she'd been wounded in front of her leader, but even worse, she'd shown weakness to Link.It wasn't just her face that was injured, it was her pride as well.There was no way that she was going to show pain.

'Fight me dammit!!' She dared Rayn

'Wait.Someone's coming.' Alerted Link

They all turned around to where he was facing and saw Nightshade running up to them.By the time she got there, she was panting heavily.A large gash was running down her side.

'What happened?' asked Keyva

'Ambush…At the camp.' Nightshade stuttered

'How many?' continued Keyva

'I didn't see.I don't think there are… a lot.' She replied 'But we… We can't hold them off.They're very… too powerful.'

Keyva stood up, thinking about what to do.

'Shadow, you come with me to the camp.' He ordered 'Rayn, you stay here and heal her.Both of you join us when you're ready.'

'What about me?' asked Link

'I'm not your commander.' Keyva shrugged 'It's up to you whether you want to fight or not, just don't get yourself killed.'

'Fine, I'm coming.' Link told him

Shadow gave him a harsh look.

_'He'll only slow us down.'_ She thought

Link noticed her stare and finally snapped.

'What is it with you?' he asked 'What the hell have I done?'

Shadow just stood there.She had no intention of replying.

'If we're gonna go, let's go now.' She said, ignoring him

Shadow didn't bother waiting for Keyva to answer her and ran towards the camp, out of view.Link watched her rush off.

'What's her problem?' he asked Keyva 'She's been giving me weird looks all day, I'm sick of it.'

'It's just her way.' Keyva answered 'She's not good at showing her feelings.'

'To you.' added Rayn

Keyva turned around and looked at him, sighing sadly.

'Go, they need you.'Urged Nightshade

'Come when you're ready.' Ordered Keyva 'Stay with them Link, I need to calm her down.'

Keyva ran off chasing after Shadow. He reached a less dense part of the forest and saw that she was waiting for him, her swords lying keen in her hands, ready to fight.

'If you want to know why I'm mad with him, I already told you.' She spoke

'I'm you're commander Shadow, don't talk to me like that.' Keyva told her 'I know how you are, don't lose your temper in the fight.'

Shadow nodded and they both ran to the camp.

When they arrived, they were shocked by what they saw.The camp was in flames and many Sheikah were lying motionless on the floor.Shadow looked around.Nothing.

_'This is bad.'_ She thought 'Did the Novices escape?'

'I hope so.' Replied Keyva 'Look for survivors and be careful, they're hiding.I can't sense anybody.'

Shadow nodded and they both split up to search the camp.She went to the nearest tent and checked inside.

_'Where is everybody?'_ she thought _'They wouldn't just leave.'_

Shadow looked everywhere.There wasn't a trace of any sort of being.Her longs ears couldn't hear anything in the wind and her Eye of Truth technique revealed nothing about her surroundings.

_'This just isn't right.'_

She walked outside but stopped when she saw Keyva, or something that looked like him, standing in front of the door.Its body was exactly like his, only almost completely black.The only things she could distinguish properly were its deep ruby eyes.She clenched her blades tightly, preparing for an assault.

'What are you?' she asked

The creature didn't reply, just stood there, brandishing a weapon that looked much like Keyva's bow shaped sword.He held it perfectly, just like Keyva himself.Anyone not familiar with his sword wielding would end up with a badly injured arm.

_'If he fights like Keyva, there's no way that I can even graze him.'_ Shadow thought to herself _'There's no point fighting.'_

Shadow stepped forward, as though she were about to attack.Holding her sword high, she span round and sliced through the back of the tent, escaping.She could see Rayn, Link and Nightshade ahead.Rayn had been able to heal her fully.It was incredible just how good at magic he was.

'Rayn!' she called

The cry alerted him and he looked in her direction.Shadow could see that he wasn't looking at her, but past her.She turned around and felt a sharp pain across her right leg.

_'Damn, he followed me!'_ she thought

The being went for her other leg and soon she was on the floor.It was using one of Keyva's techniques, injuring her so that she couldn't escape fast enough, then it would finish her off.Shadow didn't even bother trying to get away; she was nowhere near a match for Keyva.Moving would just waste her strength.

'Go on then.' she challenged

Shadow braced herself for pain; she didn't want her last moment to be of weakness.Unexpectedly, the being just walked away towards where the others were.It showed no intention of taking their fight any further.

_'What, it's just going to leave me?'_ she thought

'It's leaving you for me to finish off myself.' A voice spoke

Nydek appeared before her, floating just above her level.His white hair lashed wildly in the wind.

'Who the hell are you?' Shadow asked

'I'm known as Nydek,' Nydek replied 'knight of the great King Ganondorf and enemy to all that oppose him.'

He looked at her more closely.

'Pitiful Sheikah.' He said 'Your beauty is wasted on you.Give your life to the true cause.'

Nydek gave her a stare that seemed to pierce straight through her eyes and infiltrate her senses.His eyes changed from dark blue to total white and Shadow found herself unable to move, hear or feel anything around her.Nydek's voice spoke in her mind.

'Give yourself up.' he controlled 'Give in to me.Give in to your new master.'

_'…I…'_

'Don't think.Don't feel.Just be.' he continued 'Silence all your emotions, for they are no use to you now.'

Shadow's eyes went blurry, out of focus, then totally blind.Nydek had a lock over her mind and was engulfing all her senses.

'What the--?'

Rayn had managed to destroy the Dark Shifter, with Link and Nightshade's help, and saw what Nydek was doing.He wanted to help Shadow, but didn't know if he should leave.More Shifters where approaching along with their scaly friends.

'Go.' Link told him, seeing the worried expression on his brother's face 'Help her.'

Rayn nodded and ran to Shadow's side.Nydek held out his hand and sent him flying back.

'You're pathetic.' he said

He drew his katana and prepared to strike.

'You do not think or feel.' he repeated 'Obey and accept your fate.'

Nydek brought his sword forward.Before it could meet Shadow's body a dagger shot past his blade and dug into the ground, halting his attack with surprise.Before he could look to see who was attacking him, he found another deep in his sword arm.He winced and stepped back.

'……Ugh…'

Shadow stirred, rubbing her head.Nydek's distraction had released her from his control.Rayn went and knelt beside her.

'Are you all right?' he asked

'I'm fine.' Shadow replied, trying to get up 'What happened?'

'I don't know.I think someone wounded him.'

They both turned to Nydek and saw him looking for his attacker.Anger showed on his face, he obviously didn't like being interrupted.

'Coward!Show yourself!' he yelled 'A fight means nothing unless you have courage to face your foe!'

A figure appeared from behind one of the tents.He had long black hair in two low ponytails and red eyes typical to that of the Sheikah.His clothes were dark purple with a black cape and two swords were held in his hands.Shadow recognised him instantly.

'It…It's Reyon.' She stuttered

'You're kidding right?' asked Rayn

Shadow looked at him.

'Do I look like it?' she replied

She looked back to Nydek and saw that he was preparing to fight.

'I have to help him.' She said

Shadow started to walk forward but the pain in her legs strengthened with every step.She sat back down.

'Heal me.' She demanded Rayn

'Not here.' He spoke

Rayn closed his eyes and concentrated on his magic.Soon after, he and Shadow were far away from the combat zone.

'You bastard!' Shadow cursed 'Take me back!I have to help Reyon!'

'No, you'll just get hurt again.' He told her 'I know you.You'll get caught up in the fight and then do something stupid.'

'No!I have to see him fight!'

'You've got nothing to worry about.' Rayn informed 'That guy's renowned for his fighting skill.'

'I know, I know.' Shadow interrupted 'The greatest whatever in the entire Sheikah race.'

'Warrior?' he asked

'Yes!' she barked

Rayn backed down.

'Just try and understand, Shadow.' He asked 'I…I don't like seeing you hurt.'

'You didn't care earlier.' She replied

'No.You're wrong.I do care about you.' He told her 'It's hard for me to describe because the feeling is so alien to me, but I know how powerful it is.'

He knelt down and took her hands.Shadow just stayed still.She wasn't sure what she should do.

'I realized it just then.I don't want to see you hurt, Shadow.I want to stay by your side forever and protect you.I want…to be with you.'

Rayn paused and took a deep breath.What he was about to say was harder then any battle he fought before.

'…I love you Shadow.'

Shadow remained silent.Nobody had ever shown her anything like this before.Her feelings were mixed up; she didn't know what it was she felt.

_'I can't.'_ she thought _'I can't get close.Anybody I trust always leaves me…What is this I'm feeling?I don't understand.'_

'I understand you Shadow.I know that you've never felt this before and so you must be kind of confused.' Rayn assumed 'But if you could just think about it before you make up your mind…Please?'

'I don't know what this…I've never…'

She trailed off, it was like she had forgotten to speak.Thousands of thoughts were buzzing through her head.Rayn placed his arms under her and gently lifted her up.

'You don't have to think about it now.' He whispered 'Let's go find the others that escaped.We'll be safer if we leave here.'__

Reyon stood determined in front of Nydek.It had been a long time since he had been home and now it had been destroyed.He tried hard so as not to show his anger, as it could easily be manipulated.

'You did this?' he questioned

Nydek smiled proudly.

'It's my duty to rid this land of whatever plagues it.' he replied

'You said you were a knight, but that task makes you nothing more than an exterminator.' Reyon told him 'But if that's your job, I don't understand why you wish to fight me.'

'You attack me, I settle the score.' he explained

'I was protecting my sister.' Informed Reyon

Nydek shrugged.

'It makes no difference to me.' He said, clutching his long sword tightly

He brought the sword forward to Reyon.Reyon took one effortless move and avoided him, giving him a hard punch to his back.

'You'll have to be quicker than that.' He patronized

Nydek turned around.

'Oh, I can do a lot better.' He said

He held out his arm.Magic built up in his hand and sent out a powerful jolt to Reyon's body.He simply jumped out the way.

'I sure hope so.' He laughed

Nydek lowered his arm.

'What, all you can do is dodge?' he assumed

'You don't have the skills to beat me just yet.' Told Reyon 'As the saying goes, "Kill or be killed".You can't slay me, so why should I kill you?' 

'You were toying with me?!'

Reyon nodded.

'I am no doll!Fight me or I'll set this entire area ablaze!' Nydek threatened

'You'd kill your own followers?'

'Your friends have already disposed of them, they mean nothing to me.' He answered 'Now, will we battle?Or would you prefer to see this place go up in flames of my success?'

Reyon looked around.The only people left were them, Link and Nightshade.

'In flames it will be, but not by your glory.' He said

With that, he threw a Deku Nut on the ground.The flash blinded Nydek and he was forced to turn away.Reyon ran to Link and Nightshade.

'Get out of here.' He ordered

'But what about him?' asked Link

'He doesn't pose any threat now.' He replied 'Come, follow me.'

They all ran as fast as they could, far away from the camp.Reyon turned around to once again bid farewell to his home.Now it would be nothing more than a memory resting in the back of his mind.

(I know, it wasn't worth the wait I'm sorry, but I'm really bad at doing the fight and "romance" parts.Flames down here please…)

â


	6. An Injured Friend

^o^ Thank you everybody for being so patient

^o^ Thank you everybody for being so patient. I will try to upload my chapters as soon as I finish them. And if I haven't uploaded anything in a while I assure you that I haven't stopped writing. I'll continue to upload chapters until I finish this so, uhh, I might be a while. Thanks again. *^o^*

VI

Link turned around to see Reyon staring at the Sheikah Camp. He wondered why he had stopped so suddenly after telling them to flee and tried to see exactly what he was looking at. In the distance he could see Nydek shooting fire from his hands, setting the whole camp ablaze.

__

'What have I done?' Reyon thought

'What the hell's he doing?' Link exclaimed 'We have to go back! Keyva might still be there!'

Reyon shook his head.

'Keyva's not there.' He informed 'I told him where the others were and told him to leave.'

'Keyva wouldn't just leave like that.' Nightshade said 'Not while people were still there.'

'I know, that's why we're staying here until he comes.' Reyon replied 'He'll find us soon enough.'

'But what about that guy, what do we do about him?' asked Link

Reyon just shrugged and turned away.

'There's nothing we can do. We won't get there in time to save the camp.' He told him

'I don't get it, why didn't you kill him?' Link asked 'I saw you fight, you could've won. That guy was no match for you, so why?'

Reyon just sat down and ignored him. He wasn't in the mood for talking.

'Well?' Link persisted 'Tell me.'

'There's no point in talking about something you can't change.'

'What? We could just go back there now and—'

'Stop it.' Nightshade interrupted 'Arguing isn't going to help here. Let's just sit tight and wait for Keyva.'

Link sighed, knowing he was beaten.

'Fine.' He sulked

'Where exactly are we going?'

Shadow was getting impatient with Rayn. He'd been carrying her around for ages but it didn't seem like they were getting anywhere.

'You know what we're meant to do if we've got no place to go.' He told her 'We're going to the training center.'

'… The Shadow Temple..?' she asked

Rayn nodded. Shadow held him tightly; she'd always been petrified of the Shadow Temple. It was the hardest training ground in all of Hyrule and many people had lost their lives there. Something bad seemed to happen every time Shadow tried to prove herself in there, she'd failed many of her assessments in there too.

'Do we have to go there?' she asked 'Are you sure?'

'What? Are you scared?' asked Rayn

'Of course not!' she snapped 'I was just asking.'

Rayn smiled. He knew she was lying.

'Remember what I said before,' he told her 'I'll always be here to protect you. Nothing bad is going to happen while I'm around.'

__

'He thinks I'm helpless, that's why he's doing this.' Thought Shadow _'I don't want to depend on anyone…'_

Shadow just faked a smile and brought herself closer to him, shutting her eyes. She didn't want to think about what he'd said earlier, such emotions puzzled her. She'd never been through anything like that before and the whole ordeal had left her weak and confused. Something felt warm on her cheek. Rayn was kissing her. Shadow froze and opened her eyes.

__

'Oh no.' she thought 'What are you—'

'Shh.' Rayn spoke softly 'Get some rest. You went through a lot back there.'

__

'So he does think I'm weak.' She thought _'Typical, everyone's the same. He doesn't care.'_

'Rayn held her close to him. Shadow meant so much to him and he knew it would take a while for her to realize it. Until then he was going to show her just how true she was to the words he said.

'Keyva! Keyva over here!'

Link was running around and waving his arms frantically to get Keyva's attention. Keyva was carrying a wounded Sheik with him. Eventually he heard Link's cries and the pair joined them.

'Sheik!' Reyon yelled, helping him 'My goddess Sheik, what happened to you?'

Sheik was injured pretty badly. His face was bleeding and he had a deep stab wound in his back. Cuts ran down his arms and legs, blood slowly trickling from the larger gashes.

'I lost…' he said softly

'We've got to heal you.' Reyon told him 'Nightshade, can you heal him? Have you learnt that?'

Nightshade nodded.

'It's not my strong point, she said 'so it might not work to well.'

'But you can make him better right?' Reyon hoped

'Sure, but I can't do it without hurting Sheik.'

Reyon looked at him, studying his gashes.

'Is that all right?' he asked 'Or are you hurting too much already?'

'Nah.' Sheik said, shaking his head 'Go on, I can take it.'

Nightshade held out her hand. White magic built up, her hand was glowing with pure energy.

'You can take a potion when we get back if you want.' She told him

'Just get it over with.' Sheik asked her

Nightshade shot the magic into him. Sheik's body radiated with its power. The magic built up, becoming more intense. Sheik clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. He could feel the wound in his back pulling itself together, trying to stop the flow of blood from escaping. It was agony, it felt like his whole body was being forced to shrink. He felt tight and was finding it difficult to breathe.

'Aaaaaaaaack!!'

Sheik lurched forward violently. His body was stretching himself, trying to spread the pain and get rid of the cramped sensation. Reyon grabbed him and forced him to the floor.

'Come on my friend, you can get through this.' He assured him 'Just a little longer.'

Sheik was struggling against him, trying to spread out his limbs, trying to ease the pain. Nightshade looked at Reyon. She wasn't sure what to do. Reyon nodded, a sign for her to continue.

'Aaaaagh! I can't… I – Aaack!!' Sheik screamed Reyon felt him weakening. He'd stopped trying to break free and his breathing was no longer laboured. He looked at him. Sheik had passed out.

'I should have stopped.' Nightshade said

'No, you did fine.' Keyva told her 'If you stopped you would have prolonged his suffering.'

'Is he… okay?' Link asked 

Keyva nodded.

'We should leave now before that man finds us' he ordered 'Take my arm Link. Reyon, you take Sheik.'

They all did as he said. Keyva closed hi eyes and concentrated. Moments later, they disappeared, warping to the Shadow Temple.

*Runs around* I did it!!! I did it!! *Coughs* Ahem, yeah, whatever. Umm… Thanks for sticking with me. I appreciate every review I get (hint hint) so thank you if you do that too! *^_^*/


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